Quality of Reporting of Randomized Controlled Trials in General Endocrinology Literature

Context: The reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is poor in general medicine and several areas of specialization but unknown in endocrinology. Objective: Our aim was to assess the reporting quality of RCTs in general endocrinology. A secondary objective was to identify predictor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 2008-10, Vol.93 (10), p.3810-3816
Main Authors:	Rios, Lorena P, Odueyungbo, Adefowope, Moitri, Misha O, Rahman, Mohammed O, Thabane, Lehana
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Algorithms Biological and medical sciences Endocrinology - methods Endocrinopathies Feeding. Feeding behavior Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology Humans Medical sciences Publishing - standards Quality Control Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic Research Design - standards Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems Vertebrates: endocrinology
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Summary:	Context: The reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is poor in general medicine and several areas of specialization but unknown in endocrinology. Objective: Our aim was to assess the reporting quality of RCTs in general endocrinology. A secondary objective was to identify predictors for better reporting quality. Design and Setting: We systematically reviewed RCTs published in three general endocrinology journals between January 2005 and December 2006. Participants: We included parallel-design RCTs that addressed a question of treatment or prevention. Article selection and data abstraction were conducted by two reviewers independently, and disagreements were resolved by consensus. Main Outcomes: There were two main outcomes: 1) a 15-point overall reporting quality score (OQS) based on the Consolidated Standards for Reporting Trials (CONSORT); and 2) a 3-point key score, based on allocation concealment, blinding, and use of intention-to-treat analysis. Results: Eighty nine RCTs were included. The median OQS was 10 (interquartile range = 2). Allocation concealment, blinding, and analysis by intention to treat were reported in 10, 20, and 16 of the 89 RCTs, respectively. A multivariable regression analysis showed that complete industrial funding [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.014; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.010–1.018], journal of publication (IRR = 1.068; 95% CI, 1.007–1.132), and sample size (IRR = 1.048; 95% CI, 1.026–1.070) were significantly associated with a slightly better OQS. Conclusions: The quality of RCT reporting in general endocrine literature is suboptimal. We discuss our results, highlight the areas where improvements are needed, and provide some recommendations.
ISSN:	0021-972X 1945-7197